Lower 100s will seem like break from this week's heat in Abilene

Eric J. Shelton/Reporter-News
Ambrose Schmidt, 4, takes a drink of water after playing at Rose Park on a hot Thursday afternoon, July 2, 2012. According to the National Weather Service, today's temperature is projected to be near 105 degrees.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News
A pair of Hardin-Simmons University's Six White Horses cool off from the 100 degree-plus heat by wading in the pond at the Bill "Doc" Beazley White Horse Center on Thursday afternoon.

Tommy Metthe/Abilene Reporter-News

Since Tuesday, the high temperatures in Abilene have been 105, 107 and 107 degrees. That's the hottest three-stretch this summer. It was worse, you remember, in 2011.

May 27-29: 107, 109, 107

June 17-19: 107, 107, 107

July 25-27: 105, 105, 104

Aug. 2-10: 106, 106, 105 and 106, 105, 104 and 106, 106, 106

Aug. 27-29: 104, 107, 104

There will be some relief this weekend to the high temperatures the Big Country has sweated to this week, if you consider 103 degrees a break.

The highs for today and Saturday are projected to be 104 before it dips to 103 Sunday and 102 Monday-Wednesday.

After that, it's anyone's guess.

"Looking past seven days is kind of difficult," said Nick Reimer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Angelo. "There are several things that could happen to change it."

The best chance for cooler weather will occur if a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico develops into something stronger, Reimer said.

"There's a chance it might weaken the high pressure system we're under," he said.After two straight days of record-breaking heat this week, Thursday's high reached 107 in Abilene, short of the 109-degree record set in 1943.The high pressure system in the Midwest is something that normally creates the hot temperatures we traditionally see this time of year. It's what has made this summer so hot in the Midwest this summer.

"This is what we normally see in late July and August," said Reimer.

However, this summer hasn't been anything as severe as the summer of 2011, he said.

"Last year, Abilene had something like 27 days of triple-digit temperatures," Reimer said. "It hasn't been anything like that this year."

Actually, Abilene had a string of 18 consecutive days of 100-degree temperatures that was broken when the high reached 98 on July 30 of last year. However, there were 21 days last summer when the temperature reached 105 or higher, and 81 days when it was 100 degrees or warmer. The high Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 last year was 106 each day.

While it may not match last year for duration, the area probably will see the hottest part of the year until a break comes in September. That is, unless a break is provided by a tropical storm and hurricane that develops in the gulf.

"At this point, it's going to have to be something like that to bring some cooler weather," Reimer said.